--- title: Donald Trump Attacks Jeff Sessions for Charging Republicans description: President Donald Trump criticized Attorney General Jeff Sessions for charging two Republican congressmen before mid-term elections. canonical: https://time.com/5385517/trump-sessions-duncan-hunter-chris-collins/ author: Jamie Ducharme article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-09-03T19:47:40.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:53:13.093Z article:section: Politics og:title: Trump Attacks Sessions Over Charges Against Republican Congressmen og:description: "Two easy wins now in doubt" og:url: https://time.com/5385517/trump-sessions-duncan-hunter-chris-collins/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1503d03e1bf33aa9/698939588fd2ee452435c888/donald-trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4480 og:image:height: 2520 og:image:alt: US-POLITICS-TRUMP-RALLY og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Trump Attacks Sessions Over Charges Against Republican Congressmen twitter:description: "Two easy wins now in doubt" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1503d03e1bf33aa9/698939588fd2ee452435c888/donald-trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'Two Easy Wins Now in Doubt.' Trump Attacks Jeff Sessions Over Charges Against Republican Congressmen > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Rep. Chris Collins Resigns From Congress Ahead of Expected Guilty Plea for Insider Trading [Watch (HLS stream): Rep. Chris Collins Resigns From Congress Ahead of Expected Guilty Plea for Insider Trading](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/eK5cw8Kk.m3u8) (1:05)  _Published 2018-08-08. Rep. Chris Collins, a Republican congressman from western New York, is resigning from his seat ahead of an expected guilty plea in an insider trading case._  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Sep 3, 2018 7:47 PM UTC  Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana on August 30, 2018. Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana on August 30, 2018. MANDEL NGAN—AFP/Getty Images  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Sep 3, 2018 7:47 PM UTC President Donald Trump on Monday criticized Attorney General Jeff Sessions after two Republican congressmen were charged with crimes ahead of the midterm elections, putting “two easy wins in doubt,” as he put it. “Two long running, Obama era, investigations of two very popular Republican Congressman were brought to a well publicized charge, just ahead of the Mid-Terms, by the Jeff Sessions Justice Department,” Trump tweeted. “Two easy wins now in doubt because there is not enough time. Good job Jeff…” > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1036681588573130752) Though Trump did not name the congressmen, he seemed to be referring to California Rep. Duncan Hunter and New York Rep. Chris Collins, both of whom are currently facing charges. [Hunter and his wife were charged in August](http://time.com/5373992/duncan-hunter-wife-charged-campaign-corruption/) with using more than $250,000 of campaign funds for personal expenses, including vacations and their children’s school tuition. Hunter [called the charges “pure politics”](http://time.com/5377297/duncan-hunter-wife-finances/) and said his wife was responsible for their finances. His chief of staff also [told The Los Angeles _Times_](http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-duncan-hunter-indict-20180821-story.html) that Hunter has no plans to end his campaign for re-election. Collins, meanwhile, [was indicted in August](http://time.com/5360944/christopher-collins-indicted-insider-trading/) on insider trading charges, prompting him to [suspend his campaign for re-election](http://time.com/5364713/chris-collins-steps-down-indictment/). Collins allegedly made stock trades using inside information about a biotechnology company. Collins was the first member of Congress to endorse Trump’s 2016 presidential bid, a move that Hunter quickly followed. Trump’s tweet was only the latest in a long line of [jabs at Sessions](http://time.com/4877246/jeff-sessions-donald-trump-fox-news-interview/), though he recently said that [the attorney general’s job is safe — at least until the midterm elections](http://time.com/5383419/trump-sessions-attorney-general/). ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5385517/trump-sessions-duncan-hunter-chris-collins/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5385517/trump-sessions-duncan-hunter-chris-collins/"},"headline":"'Two Easy Wins Now in Doubt.' Trump Attacks Jeff Sessions Over Charges Against Republican Congressmen","datePublished":"2018-09-03T19:47:40.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:53:13.093Z","description":"Reps. 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